Wish Upon a Star
by Settiai
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a Slayer who fell in love with a vampire. :: Angel/Buffy


Title: Wish Upon A Star

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG

Explanation: This is my story for the Old Skool Ficathon on LiveJournal, and it was written for bashipforever.

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a Slayer who fell in love with a vampire.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

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As she rested her head on Angel's shoulder, Buffy let out a contented sigh and smiled as he casually ran his fingers through her hair. A hint of the sun's warmth still caressed them even though the golden orb had sunk behind the horizon almost an hour earlier. The coolness of night was slowly sneaking in, however, and the Slayer was becoming more and more aware of her headrest's lack of body heat as the temperature around them lowered.

At that moment, though, she couldn't care less about the fact. Instead, she pushed all of her doubts and worries as far back in her mind as she could. Even though her head knew the impossibility of a vampire and a Slayer becoming... involved... she still couldn't force her heart to understand. At least not when she was so close to Angel. It just wasn't...

"Buffy?"

The blonde girl blinked, and she couldn't help but blush as her mind was brought back to the present. She pulled away from him just enough to meet his gaze, and she couldn't help but smile at the curious expression on his face. As her mouth split into a grin though, his curiosity only seemed to grow.

"What's so funny?" he asked quietly, his mouth twitching slightly as if he were struggling not to laugh.

"Nothing," she replied innocently, but the grin on her face told him that she was anything but. "It's absolutely nothing."

As Angel shot her a disbelieving look, she merely laid her head back on his shoulder with a satisfied sigh. Then she let her gaze move upwards toward the quickly darkening sky. She knew that he was still staring at her, and--even though she couldn't see it--she could just picture the slightly confused expression that was on his face. Her attention had moved on to a tiny spark of light shining above them though.

"Look at that," she said softly as she casually pointed at the twinkling star. "It's the wishing star."

She glanced back toward Angel's face and smiled before turning her gaze back up at the star. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight," she whispered softly, her face looking more like that of a child rather than a young woman as she did so, "I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, and her lips moved a tiny bit as she silently whispered a few words that even Angel couldn't make out. All that he knew was that she appeared more like a child in his eyes than ever before.

Then she opened her eyes again, and the glint in them quickly reminded Angel that she was far from being a cherub.

A grin on her face that almost seemed to be a smirk, she leaned up just enough to easily press her lips against his. When she pulled away a few seconds later, Angel gently laid his arm on her shoulder.

"So, what did you wish for?" he asked with a smile.

Buffy gave him a smile that was far from reassuring. "Don't you know anything about wishes?"

He merely raised an eyebrow.

"If I tell you, then it might not come true," she replied, and this time Angel **knew** that it was a smirk on her face and not a grin.

Angel merely raised an eyebrow once more before leaning over and placing a gently kiss on top of her head. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," she answered with an even more devilish smirk. "Really."

"Well then," Angel said almost teasingly, "I guess I shouldn't tell you my wish either."

"You made a wish?" Buffy asked curiously, a surprised expression suddenly appearing on her face. "What was it?"

As she realized what she had said, her mouth twitched ever so slightly as she mock-glared at Angel. "That's not fair."

Angel chuckled softly as he planted another gentle kiss on her lips. As he pulled away, he gave her a smirk of his own. "If it's not fair, then I guess I really should tell you what I wished for. Since life is always supposed to be fair, I mean."

"Uh-huh," Buffy said with a serious nod. "That's right. Spill."

"All I wished for," Angel said softly, his voice growing serious as he met her gaze, "was that you would live a long and happy life."

Buffy started, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Her shocked expression quickly faded, however, only to be replaced by a heartfelt smile.

"That's pretty much the same as my wish," she whispered softly, "except that I added 'with you' to the end."

Angel let out a quiet sigh as he began to pull away from her. "Buffy..."

"Don't," she said firmly, her hand reaching up to cover his mouth. "It's my wish, so don't ruin it. There's always a chance that it will come true. I mean... it's Sunnydale. Home of the weird and freaky. Who knows what's possible?"

Angel shook his head slightly, but he didn't say another word. He merely gave her a weak smile before leaning in to once more give her a gentle kiss. As he pulled away, he couldn't help but let his smile broaden when he caught sight of the hopeful expression on her face.

"You're right," he whispered softly. "We are on the Hellmouth. Who knows what's possible?"

Buffy nodded, but after a moment her face grew even more serious than before. "I wish that you could get some type reward for all the good you've done," she said with a smile, her hand reaching over to casually intertwine with his. "It wouldn't have to be now or anything, but... someday. Someday I want you to get what you deserve."

Angel shook his head, a brief cloud passing over his face. "What I deserve is a stake through the heart, and we both know it."

"No," Buffy said confidently, "that's what Angelus deserves. But he's gone now, and he's never coming back."

She tightened her grip on his hand, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Someday, everything's going to be perfect. We'll get to be together, somehow, a-and everything will work out fine. You'll see. That's my wish."

"It's a good wish," Angel said softly, his gaze moving up to focus on the lone star that still hung above them in the sky. "And who knows... maybe it will come true someday."

"Anything's possible in Sunnydale," Buffy whispered as she leaned back against his shoulder. "Isn't that right?"

"Of course," Angel said with a nod. "Anything's possible."


End file.
